Students may enter their exam number and get their grades online, along with the grade distribution for the rest of the class.

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In the 1990s, when the sole female minister, Claudia Costin, studied women's career paths in the public service, she found that often potential candidates would not enter for the exam if the job might mean moving.

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Mr Gove's idea is that exam boards should still set courses but that schools would be advised to enter students for them only if they were approved by a Russell Group university.

BBC: Michael Gove wants universities to create new A-levels

Apart from competition from the well-established A-level, the new qualification could also be rivalled by another proposed exam, called the Pre-U, aimed at stretching pupils planning to enter higher education.

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Who can let themselves enter the magical world of Lewis Carroll, when all they can think about is the exam question: "Brillig is vital to our understanding of Carroll's Jabberwocky, Discuss"?

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